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Bid on Original Art at Timeraiser Vancouver

The Timeraiser is tonight! Timeraiser Vancouver is an inventive idea to put original art in the hands of people who are willing to volunteer for a charity. At the Timeraiser Vancouver event, prospective art bidders visit the booths of participating charities to find a match for themselves. Then they bid on artwork, displayed around the room, by stating how many hours they are willing to volunteer for it. The maximum bid is 100 hours! I think this is such a great formula for supporting artists (who are paid for their artwork through the Framework Foundation), for raising volunteerism and supporting charities. Come on out tonight for Timeraiser Vancouver or look for a Timeraiser in your city.

Timeraiser: How did you hear about Timeraiser 2011?Ellen: I’m very fortunate to have been involved with Timeraiser before. This is my third year.

Timeraiser: Why did you decided to name your artwork “Promises”?Ellen: I’m always looking for new ways to express my experience of living. I explore the wonders of the everyday world around me, from mountains to mussels, skies to seaweed. My practice has taken on a more abstract approach, as I experiment with presenting the landscape as a metaphor for emotional and psychological states. This artwork is about the power of a promise.

Timeraiser: What do the dots which are overlaid on top of the scenic background represent?Ellen: This mixed media artwork is a hybrid of photography, printmaking and painting. I start the composition by looking through photos I have taken (of which I have over 12,000) and start to pick out textures, shapes or colours that interest me. I don’t use the whole photo – just pieces of it that I combine with select pieces from other photos. As I combine these pieces together, overlaying them, scaling them, moving them around, the composition begins to emerge and I start to develop a feeling about the work. It may make me feel nervous or uptight, joyful or serene, fearful or exhilarated. I start to equate these feelings with experiences I’ve had in life. This leads to bringing the artwork to completion around a more defined idea. Every compositional piece of the artwork contributes to the overall feeling I’m trying to impart.

About the Timeraiser

The Timeraiser is part volunteer fair, part silent art auction and part night on the town. Throughout the evening meet with different agencies and match your skills to their needs. Once you have made your matches, you are eligible to bid on artwork. The big twist is rather than bid money, you bid volunteer hours. If you have the winning bid you have 12 months to complete your pledge before bringing the artwork home as a reminder of your goodwill.